‘Supernatural’ season 12 episode 10 recap/spoilers: Castiel’s weakness is ‘humanity’ in ‘Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets’

Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins as Sam and Dean Winchester and Castiel respectively. "Supernatural" season 12 episode 10 "Lily Sunders Has Some Regrets" The CW Television Network

“Supernatural” season 12 episode 10 was so tension-heavy between Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) that Sam (Jared Padalecki) started to lose patience with both of them. “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets” is the first of the expected three Castiel-centric episodes in season 12 and is arguably the second best episode of the season so far.

‘Supernatural’ 12x10 recap ahead. This article is filled with spoilers from the show’s latest episode and from the last.

If last week reminded fans how indomitable the Winchesters are in this hunting business, this episode would remind fans why they fell in love with “Supernatural.” The episode speaks volume of the love between the brothers and Castiel. And, for those who ship Destiel (pairing of Dean and Castiel), which, according to Ackles “doesn’t exist,” this could be interpreted as taking one step closer to making Destiel canon.

In the previous episode “First Blood,” Cas disregarded “consequences of a cosmic scale” and killed Billie the reaper (Lisa Berry) to save the Winchesters. The brothers were now pondering on what that could mean for their friend. Sam and Dean were worried, but Dean took it a lot further by not talking to Cas at all.

When an angel, named Benjamin in a female vessel, was hunted by a mysterious woman in an eye patch, he was able to beg for help from his fellow angels via their angel radio before he was killed. Cas was one of the angels who heard his call. He was about to investigate when Sam and a reluctant Dean volunteered to go with him. Their tension-filled car ride has had poor Sam stuck in between sassy Cas and brooding Dean. (See video below.)

Benjamin was killed by Lily Sunder (Alicia Witt). After discovering that another celestial being was involved, Castiel met with his former battalion members, who did not hold him in high regard, blaming him for the death of other angels and the breaking of their wings. Before Benjamin, two other angels were also killed, but Cas wasn’t informed because they didn’t think he’d care.

Female!Cas also had blue eyes

The other angels never changed vessels as they remained on Earth, but Cas, who went back to heaven following that one mission in 1901, had switched vessels. He had used a female vessel then, one with eyes as blue as Jimmy Novak’s. His battalion was sent to earth to kill off an angel who married a human and appeared to have fathered a nephilim daughter.

Lily Sunders’ revenge

Lily Sunders, the human wife of the angel, was spared by the angel Ishim. Her husband and daughter were killed, though, and that’s what drove her to turn to Enochian magic and take revenge on the other angels. As it happened, there was more to the story than just a century-old revenge.

Lily’s daughter, as it turned out, wasn’t a nephilim (an offspring of an angel and a human) but a human child. She had her before she even met an angel. Ishim was obsessively in love with Lily, so much so that she had to marry another angel for protection. With his jealousy, he killed Lily’s husband and daughter. The other angels, Cas included, didn’t know about Ishim’s duplicity.

Cas’ weakness is ‘humanity’

Dean rushed to Cas’ side to tell him about Lily’s story after he couldn’t contact him by phone. Lily’s version happened to be the accurate one. Ishim, that treacherous snob, beat Cas, who was weakened after healing Ishim’s angel wound.

“And now, I’m gonna help you. I’m gonna cure you of your human weakness in the same way I cured mine,” Ishim told Castiel, apparently comparing his own love for Lily with Castiel’s love for “humanity.” Ishim, it’s worthy to note, then went to try to kill Dean and not humanity as a whole.

Dean drew an angel-banishing sigil on the wall to get rid of Ishim but was told that if he used that, there’s a chance that he would not only banish the injured Cas, but most probably kill him as well. Dean opted not to use the sigil, which meant he was left vulnerable from Ishim’s attack.

Sam and Lily then came to the rescue. It was Cas who killed Ishim, though, while Lily was distracting him. Cas understood how angry and vengeful Lily was at his kind, and so he asked for her forgiveness for his part in killing her daughter. Although if she found that she still couldn’t forgive him, Castiel said he would be waiting.

Dean’s worried, not mad

All those silent treatment at the beginning of the episode was because Dean was worried for Castiel. The seraph killed Billie after she made a blood pact with Sam and Dean. Billie herself reminded them that there would be cosmic consequences if that pact wasn’t fulfilled. But Cas took no heed of that just to save the Winchesters, putting himself at risk of the unknown.

Nevertheless, Cas did not regret it for a second. In true Castiel fashion, he would sacrifice his life repeatedly for Sam and Dean if need be. This didn’t sit well with the brothers.

Testing the waters with a female Castiel

Was there any particular reason Castiel’s vessel was a woman before? Benjamin’s vessel was female as well, and by the way Castiel has explained it, “he” (Benjamin) was an angel in a female form. That perhaps contradicts known belief that angels have no gender. Nevertheless, Castiel being in a female vessel could be the writers toying a possible Dean-Castiel pairing.

As Destiel shippers have insisted, Dean and Castiel would have been romantically involved from season 4 if only Cas were played by a female actress. Non-shippers just don’t see the two being anything other than friends, with some denying there is a need for a male-to-male romantic relationship in the show. With Castiel using a woman as a vessel, could it be the writers’ way of testing the viewers’ reaction? Was it their way of pleasing both shippers and non-shippers?

Ishim referring to Dean as Castiel’s weakness is not surprising. Countless other angels and demons have implied this continually. Cas would also not hesitate to sacrifice himself for Sam, but somehow angels and demons felt it was Dean who holds a higher place in Castiel’s heart.

‘Supernatural’ 12x10 review

It was a strong episode, probably the second best next to last week’s “First Blood.” In episode 9, viewers got to see Sam and Dean back in their best against humans. It was a reminder that the Winchesters are feared by supernatural entities, and therefore mere humans are no match for them.

In “Lily Sunders Has Some Regrets,” it’s about Castiel’s character development, importance and humanity. The show’s beloved angel is more than just a sacrificial pawn for the Winchesters; he is family. If reactions on social media are anything to go by, a Castiel-centric episode can redeem the show, which, some felt, had been stuck on a plateau in season 12.

“Supernatural” season 12 episode 10 aired in the US on The CW on Thursday. It will air Monday on Eleven in Australia.

YouTube/The CW Television Network